A History of Premier Club Side Inter Milan

The Blue & Black Striped Gladiators of the Italian Serie A, 1908-70

Dec 17, 2009
Hari Navarro

Internazionale 1910, Scudetto - Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0

FC Inter Milan have had a long and successful history at the pinnacle of Italian Football. Now with over a hundred years of playing tradition they continue to dominate.

Inter Milan was born as a breakaway alternative to the then resident Milanese club side, AC Milan. It was 1908 and a divide had decidedly split loyalties within Milan’s sole football club. The issue concerned the dominance of Italian nationals within the club; renegade members preferring to allow the acceptance of foreign players. And so an international offshoot was formed on March 9th, 1908 – FC Inter Milan.

Early Success and a Lucky Escape

Infused with foreign players it would take only two years for Inter to win the Italian leagues highest honour, the coveted Scudetto. Milan native Virgilio Fossati both captained and coached Inter through these formative successes. He played 97 times for his side and became the first Inter player to be selected for the national team. Tragically he was killed in action fighting Austrian forces during the First World War.

Inter have never been relegated from Serie A and they are, to this day, the only Italian team whom can claim this distinction. But at the close of the 1922 season complicated fiscally motivated maneuvering saved Inter from certain relegation. They had garnered only 11 points from the entire season and looked set for a year in Serie B. A petition was delivered to the Italian Football Federation pointing to how financially crippling relegation would be to the club. Controversially the Nerazzurri were allowed to remain in Serie A for the 1923 season whilst Venezia, who had actually come in ahead of Inter, was relegated.

Benito Mussolini Messes with History, Again.

The fascist regime of Benito Mussolini that held sway in the Italy of 1928 controlled more than just the populations hearts and minds. Its rigid doctrines reached even as far as the FC Internazionale Milano; forcing a merger with ‘Milanese Unione Sportive’ and a name change. Inter was now officially known as A.S. Ambrosiana but for its intensely loyal fan-base politics held very little weight; chants for ‘Inter’ still rang out through the stadiums no matter what colors their team was now sporting.

Under the A.S. Ambrosiana banner Inter once again won the Scudetto and they would retain this wartime brand until 1931. Following intense pressure from fans and shareholders a compromise was attempted with the team name now changed to AS Ambrosiania-Inter. The end of the Second World War again saw the name altered reverting to the title they retain to this day - Internazionale FC Milano.

Influence of the Great Giuseppe Meazza

"Meazza was great, unbeatable, even if he would occasionally run into a frightful crisis, caused by his intense sexual activity and his passion for the game. When he took over on the field, he did things that left the mouth ajar." Peppino Prisco, Internazionale Vice-President, 1963.

Giuseppe Meazza (23 August 1910 – 21 August 1979) is considered by many to be one of the true greats of Italian football. The San Siro stadium that today houses both Inter and AC Milan officially bears his name, Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. His tenure at Inter lasted 13 years with a staggering 287 goals from 408 appearances [1]. The 1938–39 season saw the club win its first Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) under his leadership, they would go on to accumulated yet another league championship in 1940.

Meazza gained infamy for his cavalier attitude to team practice and his off field ‘nocturnal’ activities. His persona became legendary with tales the like of him being dragged half asleep to the stadium minutes before kick-off only to effortlessly score and set up yet another victory. His magical touch of the ball would frustrate and beat the best opposing teams had to offer. Fans would marvel to see him deftly dribble the ball into the opposition half, shuffle and twist it past layers of defenders before halting before a totally exposed goal keeper. Here he would wind up for the shot, faking then rolling the ball easily into the net - oozing with seemingly limitless talent. Meazza played 53 times for the Italian national side scoring 33 goals and losing just six matches.

La Grande Inter, the Golden Era

Under the guidance of Argentine couch, Helenio Herrara Inter moved into an age where they were considered a class alone. They again claimed the Scudetto in 1963, '65 and '66 – an unprecedented feat for the time. Adopting Herraras’ defensive-based strategic style the team would twice win the UEFA Euro Cup against the likes of heavyweights Real Madrid and Benfica. The then-Intercontinental Cup was also added twice to the Inter silverware collection as well as an undefeated home turf run that lasted three years.

1964 European Cup vs. Real Madrid 3-1

Inter lineup: Giuliano Sarti, Tarcisio Burgnich, Aristide Guarneri, Giacinto Facchetti, Carlo Tagnin, Armando Picchi, Jair, Sandro Mazzola, Aurelio Milani, Luis Suárez, Mario Corso

1965 European Cup vs. SL Benfica 1-0

Inter lineup: Giuliano Sarti, Tarcisio Burgnich, Aristide Guarneri, Giacinto Facchetti, Gianfranco Bedin, Armando Picchi, Jair, Sandro Mazzola, Joaquin Peiro, Luis Suárez, Mario Corso